>> and now "bbc world news." >> israel and the palestinians agreed to restart face-to-face peace talks within days in washington. the u.s. hopes for a deal within a year. >> be enemies of peace will keep trying to defeat as and the rail -- defeat us and the real peace talks, but i asked the parties to persevere. >> pledges for support for pakistan. with the fifth of the country under water, many still are in desperate need of aid. u.s. senators called for the return of the lockerbie bomber to serve the rest of his sentence. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. my name is mike embley. coming up later for you -- in australia. the race looks to be the closest and 50 years.

and a mechanical makeover for this injured clock. after 600 years and five generations of keepers from the same family. hello. it has to be said. breakthroughs have come and gone, but there may at last be a movement toward peace and in the middle east. israelis and palestinians have agreed to direct talks. it broke down 20 months ago, but there have been no substantive negotiations for nine years. the target is to reach a settlement with than one year. the militant group hamas has already rejected the idea. gerald -- jeremy bowen reports. >> this is gaza in 2009.

another war between israelis and palestinians. plenty on both sides are resigned to more of the same in the future. the fear inflicted on civilians, and the legacy of years of killing, mean that the two sides do not trust each other. that is a major problem. especially if they are to make a deal within a year, as the americans held. in washington, hillary clinton, the american secretary of state, warned it would not be easy. >> as we move forward, it is important that actions by all sides to help advance our effort, not hinder it. there have been difficulties and in the past. there will be difficulties ahead. >> she said all the big issues would be on the table. that includes the political status of jerusalem.

but sides want a. the borders of the future palestinian will have to be decided. -- both sides in what the capital there. and there has to be a solution for the palestinians who lost their homes in what became israel after 1948. there is more. security guarantees. it will be a huge challenge. since the first historic handshake between israeli and palestinian leaders at the white house and in 1993, every attempt at negotiation has failed. the failure has made matters worse. you can see why neither side is jumping for joy in now. >> me know these salts -- we know these talks will be complex. but a deal is possible. a deal has to be made. >> we hope the israeli government will refrain from

such activities and brought -- provocative acts in order to get this peace process a chance. >> this is gaza beach, sweltering like the other palestinian territories and israel in a heat wave. it is controlled by a mosque, which is not invited to the talks, but still -- it is controlled by hamas, which is not invited to the talks but still rejected them. these days, israelis and palestinians are most likely to come into contact at checkpoints. but such are cynical about peace talks. it has taken decades of labor costs you arrange the latest. president obama has a tough job ahead. >> a week after the offer was first made, pakistan has decided to accept $5 million in aid from its neighbor and longtime enemy

india. relief operations are coming under ever greater pressure as people try to get out of the way of floodwaters in the south. a fifth of the country is submerged. there are more pledges of help from the u.n., but many people are in desperate need. cut off from the outside world, remote parts of northwest pakistan can only receive relief by helicopter, and many of those vital supplies are being flown in by american military crews. our correspondent flew in with the u.s. marines. >> americans in an american helicopter flying to the rescue of those affected by the floods. this area is cut off after floods destroyed roads and bridges three weeks back. the new helicopter flights

ensure the local population they have not been forgotten. >> we have americans flying helicopters and pakistan now, which is quite unusual. the pakastani people have seen us save thousands of lives. we are distributing food. this area under water is larger than italy or the united kingdom, for that matter. we have lots to do and we are not turning away from the pakastani people. >> but this operation is a difficult task here yet >> [unintelligible] -- but this operation is a difficult task. >> [unintelligible] we have a good day -- [unintelligible] >> the routing of the taliban last year and the arrival of

u.s. military helicopters means that the local opinion of americans is changing fast. suddenly the local population now appreciate the american presence. >> and in the past, the situation was defined by extremism. but most of the people, more than 95% of the people, a friend in need is a friend indeed, and america helps us much. >> some people say this is small change at a local level. americans need more to do the nest to win the hearts and minds of all pakastanis. >> the united states has won public support here. the question is, how to make the support permanent? for that, the west will have to think of all long-term strategy. bbc news, islamabad.

>> you'll find lots more coverage of this crisis still going on, of course, on our website. just go to bbc.com/pakistanfloods. our correspondent has been speaking to people there. the search for scores of people in southwest china continues. one disaster was averted on this train. the passengers were saved just before carriages toppled off a bridge into a raging river. floods and landslides have lost hundreds that across china. a year since the man convicted for the lockerbie bomber was -- the lockerbie bombing was released from prison, president obama's chief terrorism adviser has said that he should be sent back to prison. the white house emphatically disagrees with the decision.

two senators have called for an investigation into wide abdelbasset ali al-megrahi was returned to libya. and libya has been warned not to celebrate the anniversary. >> it has been a year since libya celebrated the ridleys of the man convicted of the lockerbie bombing. today, he is still alive, and so, too, the questions surrounding his freedom. scottish officials said abdelbasset ali al-megrahi was treated like any other prisoner. his medical records and were reviewed, and he was given three months to that. but critics say no prognosis can be given with any certainty. >> i was quoted in the herald saying exactly that, a week or so after he was released. and here we are, and iran, he is still alive. this is embarrassing for the scottish government and also for the u.s. and elsewhere. >> mr. on the ground he has

prostate cancer. he will die from that prostate cancer. the decision stands. everyone knows somebody with a prognosis of short life expectancy that outlives that prognosis. that happens in these cases. >> it is more than two decades since flight 13 was blown up here on its way to new york. -- flight 103 was blown up here on its way to new york. abdelbasset ali al-megrahi's release has only increased the anger. there is rarely political consensus in the u.s. these days, and yet on this issue, there is. he should not have an let out of jail. today, the white house reiterated its discipline and with the decision to release al- megrahi. >> we expressed our strong conviction that he should serve the entirety of his sentence in a scottish prison. we will continue to reiterate

this position to scottish and libyan authorities, and the president extends his deepest sympathies to those injured by that reprehensible act of terrorism. >> also questioning the decision, these women. tomorrow, she is getting married to, but her father will not be here to see it. he died in the pan am bombing. >> i will be carrying a picture of him on my the k, and in -- on my bouquet, so in a sense he will be walking with me. collecting and it cannot force british -- >> they know they cannot force british officials to release more information, but while he lives, they will look for answers. bbc news. >> bp has rejected accusations it repeatedly ignored requests for information about the explosion that destroyed the deepwater horizon rig in the gulf of mexico. the company that owned the rig, transition, says it asked bp for

essential information. bp described the accusations as falls, designed to draw attention away from the liability of transition. -- transocean. the strike in south africa is in its third decade. the health minister has accused us to interrupt vital medical care of murder. six police officers have been arrested in mexico in this week's murder of an air of a northern town. he was found dead on wednesday. three days after he received from his home near monterey. he had been active in investigating allegations of corruption among local police. you were watching "bbc world news." good to have you with us. still to come -- breaking a tradition. dennis gets its first woman gondolier. -- venice gets its first woman

gondolier. first though, you know it is serious when french government ministers cut short their summer holiday. president sarkozy has ordered ministers back to discuss how they will reform the pension scheme. the forecast for the economy has been cut, too. >> it is our rare sight to see a french politician returning to their office in august, but such is the situation at the moment. there is little time to wait. pressure is building over france's considerable debt. mr. zucker is the needs to find savings in feet -- mr. sarkozy need to find savings if he is to deal with the debt problem. critics say that the forecast

was based on its shaky figures from 2011. those figures were reassessed the day. -- reassessed today. the economy is on expected to grow by 2%. critics point to the unemployment figures, which are still stagnant at 10%. no wonder the president's approval rating is suffering, and with all this bad news around, the government has been left with limited room to maneuver. and then looking on from backstage come up those international credit agencies that decide how much france will pay for its debt. moody's says that the country is still well positioned to retain its aaa rating, but there are considerable challenges that auger at least the possibility of a downgrade. and said the government has a tricky balancing act -- pushing through reforms without scaring the market.

bbc news, paris. >> the latest headlines for you on "bbc world news." direct peace talks between israel and the palestinians will resume early next month in washington. there are hopes for a deal with in the year. more aid money has been pledged for flood-stricken pakistan, but there is also massive social unrest. pakistan's current life-and- death battle with the monsoon floods is one the people of mozambique know all too well. can years ago, the african nation lost 800 people -- 10 years ago, the african nation lost 800 people two downpours. andrew harding has been in mozambique finding out what others can learn. >> the great green limpopo. it is on its best behavior today, but this giant river has a habit of becoming a lake.

10 years ago, this river flooded and 2 million people were affected. at first, the outside world seemed to shrug. until this moment. at treetop rescue for a mother and her baby girl born in the branches. they helped persuade the british public to donate some 30 million pounds in aid, the same amount raised today for pakistan. this baby is now 10 years old and thriving. her mother has a new baby. she has financial support from the government and his advice for other flood victims. -- and this advice for other flood victims. >> do not give up hope. help did it come for us from our own community and abroad. >> everything was under water. >> in 2000, daniel helped lead the fight against the flood. >> there was a feeling of

frustration, a feeling that we do not have the capacity to handle the situation. >> but flood-prone mozambique has tried hard to learn from its mistakes. countries like pakistan might do well to take note. and so, rescue practice for fishermen along the limpopo. some communities have been removed altogether. their training is meant to reduce the impact from floods. >> there is the warning. it includes first aid. it includes the indication of safe routes and places. >> the lessons learned here applied to so many disasters. the need for fast, but coordinated international aid. the importance of getting

survivors back to work as soon as possible. and above all, the need to plan, to prepare for the next time. birth is now part of mozambique's's national curriculum. the girl herself shrugs off her celebrity and the members up the tree that cradled her. a symbol of endurance in a country with an unpredictable climate. bbc news, mozambique. >> at the time, it must have seemed like a good idea, even of political masterstroke. you oust sitting the prime minister, then you call an election to cement its position in all this. but for weeks, julia gillard has had to fight tooth and nail against an man who looked like he had no hope. today is election day and the latest opinion polls suggest the

tightest race in 50 years. >> from sydney's famous harbour. to add drink in his local pub. it has been 36 hours of round- the-clock federal opportunities for the conservative leader and in man triathlete who has turned these final days of campaigning into a test of endurance. >> people expect the candidate for the top job to be bloody keenan. -- keen. >> nicknamed the mad monk, few expected him to come close, let alone turn the race into a foot fetish. even he may be struggling to make sense of his appeal, but he is stepping back in government.

this form shows how he benefited from the bloodletting in the labor government and julia gillard's decision to oust the prime minister on the eve of the election. >> and now you logic kevin rudd as a great achiever. do you feel like a hypocrite? >> well, thank you for the question. i like it when people are up front with their thoughts. >> no first term australian government has been voted out of office in 80 years and the country survive the financial crisis without recession. but few are rattled. labor felt that guarantee was -- victory was guaranteed. but has the plan backfired? will there be at all welch-born prime minister sunday? >> we will see what happens tomorrow.

>> we are going to keep fighting for it. >> julia gillard calls this a snap election, so perhaps you will take heart that this so- called psychic crocodile predicted her victory. but will the savagery with which she ousted her former leader come back to bite her? bbc news, sydney. >> now this o'clock has been wound by hand since it was first made. since the first century, that ud has fallen to one family. but now the clock is retiring and a mechanical matter is being fitted. we have the story. -- and a mechanical motor has been -- is being fitted. >> regular as clockwork he has come up here to wind it up three times a week like his father and his grandfather before him.

plus the collection of antiques. the whole family joined in -- >> the whole family joined in. at certain times, people go to war. >> paul and his ancestors have kept the system ticking along, but his retirement means the tradition is coming to an end. the cathedral cannot find anyone with the expertise or, indeed, time to replace him. after 600 years, the clocks will be wound not by hand, but by an electric motor. visitors should not notice any difference, but what if there is a power cut? >> hopefully it will not stop. we can still mulling it manually. -- wind it manually. we can turn to them in an

emergency. >> paul will be focusing on smaller mechanisms, helping out in the family's jewelry shop. but will he miss the bigger version? >> there is a tier and a lot of relief. those steps are quite high. hard to get out. >> said no more winding up after this weekend, but paul says he will still keep coming up here, just to say. john k., bbc news, wales. >> an italian woman is hoping to make it into the record books by becoming the first official venetian gondoliers. others have tried, but failed to be accepted by the establishment. q the mandolins. -- cue the mandolins. ♪

>> for centuries, this has been in the conduct symbol of the city, but is an industry traditionally dominated by men. the past 900 years, be or has been passed from father to son -- the aor -- oar has been passed from father to son. that could change soon. meet george. >> my passion came from my dad. i have started for the time i was 7 years old. it has always been a big dream. >> she is not the first woman to make waves on these waters. the first bundle their and 2007 -- another woman gondolier applied in 2007. she navigates the canals for private hotels. bergia's journey will not

all smooth sailing. >> she must take the technical test. she has passed the practical test in with great tenacity. >> she has one more example have. >> if there is passion, there is no difficulty. must go on and do what you want to date. >> that is exactly what she is doing, adding a woman's touch and changing the course of venetian history. richard martin, bbc news. >> that is a tough job. the indian government has approved a 300% pay rise for members of parliament, but for some, it seems that is not enough. several have been protesting because they say the pay rise is inadequate. they are paid only three and $50 a month, but they get generous allowances that in -- paid only $350 a month, but they get

generous amounts is in residence and transport. you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank.

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